During the second VET Skills Week in Brussels in November 2017 different research topics were discussed at roundtables. Participants were researchers and practitioners. The roundtable chairs integrated the discussion by focussing on the relevance of the topic (scope) and by reflecting the discussion with respect to the state of the scientific discussion (What do we know about the topic, also with a focus on theory and methods) and to discuss future perspectives. A first intermediate report was delivered to the EU Commission. The panel discussion will report on the results of these discussions as they are included in the intermediate report and further advance the discussion, also based on the VET research framework presented in the panel discussion on the VETNET VET research framework.

The topics to be discussed in the panel discussion 2b are:

VET attractiveness. The main research questions discussed are on the knowledge that young people, adults, or workers have on VET and pathways in / through VET and in the kind of information that is needed to guide these people into and through VET. Often, young people and their parents do not see VET as an educational option to start a work career.

Social inclusion of vulnerable people through VET. VET can help to include vulnerable people and give them not only access to education and training but also to the labour market. There is a dissatisfaction with the current state of research in the field, as inappropriate approaches are used. However, it is also a very diverse field, as the needs and the support needed differs for different groups of vulnerable people. Consequently, there is no standard generic curriculum, as VET for inclusion has to consider an evolving curriculum.

Cross-country transfer in VET. Substantial and relevant international comparative research in VET is still lacking as most published research is predominantly descriptive and based on single country reports. Most studies do not discuss the question of cross-country transfer between regions, which is a shortcoming. A multi-disciplinary analytical framework that goes beyond as systematic and comparable description is still missing.

VET governance. The discussion was on how to successfully manage the multi-level structures in VET by appropriate governance structures and practices. A focus was on the local / regional coordination of the labour market and the education, as well as to understand the empowerment of local actors to improve local / regional development and innovation.

VET teacher education & training. The main research questions discussed were on the effects of new technologies on digitalization on the pedagogy, the need for teachers to act professionally in different settings (classrooms, workshops, ...), and on how to best educate and train trainee teachers.

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